Disclosure: This is a collaborative post about family hostels on Islay with kids.
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Where is the Hostel On Islay?
Islay is a small Scottish island, approximately 25 long by 15 miles wide, although expect roads to be a little bit slower as many are single-track. The hostelling Scotland hostel is located in the village of Port Charlotte in the West of Islay. It’s around 40 minutes drive from either of the 2 ferry terminals of Port Askaig and Port Ellen.
Is Port Charlotte A Good Place To Stay?
Port Charlotte is a fabulous place to stay. Right beside the sea you can watch the waves crashing on the beach from the dining room. There is a small shop a 2 minute walk from the hostel and 2 restaurants. The Lochindaal Seafood Kitchen has a delicious menu of a locally sourced seafood. Although you will also find a few non-seafood options for those members of your group who don’t like fish! The other restaurant is at the Port Charlotte Hotel, a beautifully decorated dining area with a wide range of locally sourced seafood, meat and vegetarian options. They also have a children’s menu with the usually child-friendly food.
Both restaurants are within a 2 minute walk from the hostel! You can also visit Flossie’s Kitchen only a 10 minute walk or 5 minute drive from Port Charlotte. It’s open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.
For us the best part of Port Charlotte was definitely the beach. We happened to visit during a summer storm when it was incredibly windy. Which made the usually calm bay very choppy. Fortunately the kids loved this as they could go body boarding in the sea! A seal even joined them at one point! It’s also a lovely spot to find pretty shells and sea glass.
The other lovely thing about staying in Port Charlotte is that there is a relatively new traffic-free cycle and walking path between the village and Bruichladdaich. It’s called the Loch Indaal way and is well used by locals and tourists alike. You can also find a bike repair station installed near the war memorial on the path. We used it to adjust the height of the youngest’s seat.
And don’t forget that Port Charlotte is home to the Islay Nature Centre (next door to the hostel) and also the Museum of Islay Life. You can read more about them below.
Port Charlotte Hostel – Islay With Kids
The Port Charlotte Hostel is run by Hostelling Scotland. The staff are friendly and very helpful with everything you need. They even offered to phone the local restaurants to book dinner for us. Check-in at the hostel isn’t until 5pm, so if you are on an earlier ferry then I recommend choosing somewhere to visit en-route. The hostel is locked when the staff are out, so also make sure to take a note of the code to unlock the door!
A lot of people seem to think hostels are for young people. This is not the case any more! When we’ve stayed in hostels in Scotland there have been a wide range of ages, with mostly people in the 30+ age group and several families. You also don’t need to help clean or do any other chores. Aside clean up your own dishes you use in the kitchen of course!
Accommodation
Hostels have changed since the past and you can now book private rooms. Although there are also shared rooms available for over 18’s if you want cheaper accommodation. We had a private family room for us, with 3 sets of bunk beds.
It was a lovely clean room with the 3 set of bunk beds, a small desk and sink. We had a lovely view out onto Port Charlotte from one of our windows. The bin was emptied every day and towels were replaced as well. In private rooms towels are included in the price.
Some of the Hostelling Scotland hostels have en-suite rooms (Including Oban and Edinburgh). However, in smaller hostels like Port Charlotte the toilets and showers are shared. Both toilets and showers were just across the hall from our room, so it wasn’t far to go. They were cleaned every day and were always spotless when I visited.
Facilities
The Port Charlotte Hostel is perfectly adapted for those who love the outdoors. There is a bike shed below the hostel for storage and a drying room to hang wetsuits and your soggy walking gear. Yes, it does get a little wet on Islay sometimes!
There is a large and well-equipped kitchen to cook your dinner or even lunch (they’re happy for you to return after the morning cleaning). If you don’t want to make your own breakfast, then you can also book the ‘wee breakfast’ in the hostel. This includes a choice of cereals, porridge, toast, and yoghurt. Beside the kitchen is a large dining room with great views out across the bay.
Inside the hostel there is also a sitting room with a wide range of books and even board games available. Plenty of things to do if it’s too wet outside!
Parking is available between the walls of an old distillery building. However, as the area is very narrow you do have to be careful with parking and only park at an angle.
Budget Friendly
The private rooms are all cheaper than a general hotel room would cost in the nearby area. So although it may not be as cheap as a shared room, private rooms are still a good budget option for families. It’s also a good option for larger families with more children, hostels can often offer larger rooms for a good price.
With the kitchen and dining room available for general use, then you can also save on expensive meals out. It’s lovely to splurge once in a while, but eating out every night can become expensive. So make the most of the hostel kitchen to cook dinner and make packed lunches.
Top 10 Things To Do On Islay With Kids
The best things to do on Islay? Look no further! Here are our top 10 things to do on Islay with Kids! And no, there’s no distilleries on our list, but there are plenty to visit around Islay if that interests you. A handful will accept kids on tours, so do check in advance.
Islay Nature Centre
Right next door to the Port Charlotte hostel is the Islay Nature Centre. It’s the perfect place to explore on a wet day, which is exactly what we did! There are areas for kids crafts and quizzes available, plus plenty of information boards and a room full of interesting ocean items and tanks for crabs and lobsters.
You can easily spend an hour or two here on Islay with kids!
Singing Sands Beach
We really liked Singing Sands beach near Port Ellen. It’s only a small a beach, but there are plenty of rocks to climb and beautiful white sands. On a good day you can see all the way to Northern Ireland. The sands didn’t actually sing for us, but apparently if you scuff your feet on the sand it can!
We visited on a bit of a wild day, but it’s usually fairly calm for swimming in too.
Finlaggan Historic Centre
Finlaggan is where the seat of the Lords of the Isles was located until they were annexed by the king in 1542. You will find the houses of the lord and his family, along with the grand hall and the island that once held the lordship of the isles council meetings.
It’s an interesting place to visit and imagine how it once could have looked. They do have a VR device in the musuem which can give you an idea of what it looked like originally.
Carraig Fhada Lighthouse – Islay With Kids
Just a short walk back toward Port Ellen from Singing Sands beach is the Carraig Fhada lighthouse. It’s an unusual shape, but there is a little walkway out across the walks at low tide. Right beside the lighthouse is a small sandy beach, perfect for little ones.
Shop In A Box
The Shop in a Box is a little craft shop in a telephone box along the road to the American monument on the Mull of Oa. There’s a surprising. Number of items available from locally made tea towels, trays, bracelets, cards and more. It’s an honesty box, so leave your money in the box as directed.
You can also visit the Blue Post Box in Port Ellen on the way back, to find more crafts and some delicious Islay Cocoa chocolate!
Day Trip To Jura
Whilst on Islay it seems a shame not to day trip to Jura. It’s a short 5 minute ferry from Port Askaig. There is another distillery on Jura if you are intending on visiting distilleries on your trip. Or you can go for a walk along one of the many signposted walks on Jura.
Keep an eye out for wildlife too!
Machir Bay
Machir bay is one of the most stunning beaches on Islay. Its 2 miles long stretch of beach is perfect for walking along and playing. It’s not advisable for swimming due to strong currents, but perfectly safe for a little paddle and playing on the sand.
RSPB Loch Gruinart Reserve
A beautiful wildlife reserve where you will find plenty of bird life and other animals too. In the summer look out for Lapwing chicks and listen for the call of the Corncrake (you probably won’t see them though!).
Islay Sea Adventures – Islay With Kids
This is a boat tour company based at Port of Ellen. Unfortunately it was too windy when we visited, but you can enjoy a fun family friendly boat our along the South East of the island. Look out for red deer on the land, seal colonies and possibly also dolphins and white tailed sea eagles!
Museum of Islay Life
Although I wouldn’t recommend for younger children, it is a good place to get older kids interested in what island life was like in the past. There are plenty of displays with interesting items, alongside WWI and WWII displays. You’re not allowed to touch any of the items (hence not for younger kids!), but it can strike up some interesting conversations with the kids.
Is it Safe For Families In A Hostel?
Yes! Hostels are completely safe for families. As children have to be in a private room there is no possibility with sharing with others. So it’s a good way to have a cheap room and facilities.
Learn more about the awesome hostels all around Scotland!
- A weekend in Oban hostel, gateway to the Isles, the perfect coastal retreat.
- Head North into the Highlands and visit Pitlochry hostel by train or road.
- Enjoy beach days at Achmelvich hostel, where white sand meets turquoise sea
- A stunning island retreat at Port Charlotte hostel on Islay
- Enter Cairngorm National Park for an adventure at Cairngorm Lodge hostel
Other Great Island Blog Posts
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